It was big news in 1969 when former key members of the Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, and the Hollies–three of the finest bands of the ’60s–splintered off to form their own trio. Despite their already-proven talents, few could have imagined the gossamer vocal blend that would become the trademark of supergroup Crosby, Stills & Nash. The band’s debut effectively provided the soundtrack to the summer of ’69. For his part, Steve Stills keeps exploring the progressive folk-rock sound that he’d pioneered with Buffalo Springfield; signature tune “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes” is an expansive, multi-section affair that makes full use of the group’s vocal skills. Fresh from the Hollies, Graham Nash adds an accessible pop sensibility, epitomized by the effervescent ditty “Marrakesh Express”. David Crosby, always the wild card in the Byrds, here adds rough edges and flashes of mystery with his cutting protest rocker “Long Time Gone” and the exquisite art-folk of “Guinnevere”. With this kind of firepower under its belt, it’s no wonder CSN quickly became one of the biggest groups of their era.

Over the course of four decades, Eric Clapton has carried the British blues legacy into the mainstream of pop music. From his mid-1960s days with the Yardbirds and John Mayall, through his years as guitar god with Cream and Blind Faith, and eventually to his more laid-back solo albums, Clapton has remained one of rock’s most successful musicians. Given his guitar-superstar status, Clapton has played alongside the biggest musical acts of the 20th century, from soloing on the Beatles’ “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” to performing at the Band’s LAST WALTZ, to recording an album with B.B. King. Overcoming numerous setbacks and tragedies, old Slowhand has settled nicely into a long and prolific career.

Mobile Fidelity UltraDisc One-Step and Why It Is Superior

Instead of utilizing the industry-standard three-step lacquer process, Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab’s new UltraDisc One-Step (UD1S) uses only one step, bypassing two processes of generational loss. While three-step processing is designed for optimum yield and efficiency, UD1S is created for the ultimate in sound quality. Just as Mobile Fidelity pioneered the UHQR (Ultra High-Quality Record) with JVC in the 1980s, UD1S again represents another state-of-the-art advance in the record-manufacturing process. MFSL engineers begin with the original master tapes and meticulously cut a set of lacquers. These lacquers are used to create a very fragile, pristine UD1S stamper called a “convert.” Delicate “converts” are then formed into the actual record stampers, producing a final product that literally and figuratively brings you closer to the music. By skipping the additional steps of pulling another positive and an additional negative, as done in the three-step process used in standard pressings, UD1S produces a final LP with the lowest noise floor possible today. The removal of the additional two steps of generational loss in the plating process reveals tremendous amounts of extra musical detail and dynamics, which are otherwise lost due to the standard copying process. The exclusive nature of these very limited pressings guarantees that every UD1S pressing serves as an immaculate replica of the lacquer sourced directly from the original master tape. Every conceivable aspect of vinyl production is optimized to produce the most perfect record album available today.